Pistonheads plumbers I need advice

[gti-ted]

To all the plumbers out there, I have a problem
I have an oil fueled central heating system and I have changed a small down stairs radiator and bled it. Fired up the system and all was well for 2mins or so and it stopped..

After some head scratching I have re bled all of the remaining rads and there was a lot of air in the upstairs ones and pressed the reset button on the pump but still nothing. Everything is lit up for action so has anyone got any idea's

Cheers

[blaineuk]

is it a combination boiler?

[gti-ted]

Yes

[AndrewW-G]

Have you filled the system up following the bleeding to bring it upto pressure?

[gti-ted]

AndrewW-G said:

Have you filled the system up following the bleeding to bring it upto pressure?

? I have bled the rads and they seemed empty upstairs.So I assume that they are now full?????

[robinhood21]

What is the pressure gauge reading on the boiler? It should be just on the high side of one bar.

[gti-ted]

"IT'S ALIVE" but then cuts out. There's no pressure guage but when I turn the heater temp on the boiler to max it kicks up for approx 30 secs then cuts out again

[Engineer1]

Tap the pump lightly with a mallet/ shoe, could be that there is trapped air or that the pump is sticking. Also check any thermostats aren't set too low, (i'm not a plumber but these are obvious common problems).

[gti-ted]

Engineer1 said:

Tap the pump lightly with a mallet/ shoe, could be that there is trapped air or that the pump is sticking. Also check any thermostats aren't set too low, (i'm not a plumber but these are obvious common problems).

Done, done & done but cheers for he advice :>)

[AndrewW-G]

gti-ted said:

"IT'S ALIVE" but then cuts out. There's no pressure guage but when I turn the heater temp on the boiler to max it kicks up for approx 30 secs then cuts out again

I'm not a plumber, however have had the same problem, my combi is a closed system, by this I mean it doesnt have a header tank to refil the system if I've needed to empty or bleed the system. if there wasnt enough water pressure in the system it would fire for a few seconds and then cut out

There should be some sort of stop cock or mains water pipe going into your boiler, I'd suggest looking to see if adding more water into the system this way allows the boiler to run

[robinhood21]

You say it doesn't have a pressure gauge, are you sure it is a combi? I am not up with the latest boilers but, if it doesn't have a PG then I would suggest it must be a vented system and have a header tank in the loft. If so, check the tank (it's a small tank about a foot long) to make sure there is water in it as the ball-valve often sticks in the up/off position through lack of use, thus preventing the tank from being topped up.

[Dogwatch]

Possibly:
- pump not working
- zone valve to rad circuit not opening
- header tank empty (if there is one)
so boiler kicks off and is shut down by its internal safety thermostat as water temperature has exceeded safe limit due to non-circulation

Do they do oil-fired combi boilers? Would have thought they were a bit too slow to fire up for brief use.
Apologies if I have upset the manufacturer of such a device.

[oldsoak]

http://www.boiler-care.co.uk/heating/boiler-repres...

[Arthur Jackson]

Have you vented every bleed point on the boiler?? There maybe as many as three or four inside that casing on all the high points? Also, have you bled the air from the screw on the front of the pump?

[Fatboy]

Dogwatch said:

Do they do oil-fired combi boilers? Would have thought they were a bit too slow to fire up for brief use.
Apologies if I have upset the manufacturer of such a device.

They definitely did, as my Mum has one Works a treat, and seems more frugal than the gas combis I've had in other houses - certainly in terms of annual fuel costs, in not outright calorific efficiency.

[Arthur Jackson]

Fatboy said:

Dogwatch said:

Do they do oil-fired combi boilers? Would have thought they were a bit too slow to fire up for brief use.
Apologies if I have upset the manufacturer of such a device.

They definitely did, as my Mum has one Works a treat, and seems more frugal than the gas combis I've had in other houses - certainly in terms of annual fuel costs, in not outright calorific efficiency.

Oil combination boilers incorperate a tank containing primary water. The burner keeps this topped up to temperature and when you open a tap it's fed through a plate heat-exchanger to heat the cold up.

[Ricky_M]

Sounds like you have an air lock just above the boiler. Try this:
Turn off the boiler
Open zone valves manually, ussually a lever to lock them in the open postition.
Starting with the lowest point bleed your way up.
Check in the airing cupboard for any vents.

If all else fails, get a hose pipe attach one end to a cold main tap, the other end to a drain point on your heating system and blast mains pressure cold water through the system to dislodge any air.

Good Luck!

[gti-ted]

Ricky_M said:

Sounds like you have an air lock just above the boiler. Try this:
Turn off the boiler
Open zone valves manually, ussually a lever to lock them in the open postition.
Starting with the lowest point bleed your way up.
Check in the airing cupboard for any vents.

If all else fails, get a hose pipe attach one end to a cold main tap, the other end to a drain point on your heating system and blast mains pressure cold water through the system to dislodge any air.

Good Luck!

Cheers where would I find this zone valve?. Also theres a red steel thing that sits on some pipes next to the boiler in the airing cupboars that started squeeling like a loose fan belt it seems to be connected to the heater because when i turn the heating off it stops sqeeling. It also gets quite hot when the heatings on as though it should be doing something but can't

Edited by gti-ted on Tuesday 1st September 19:13

[robinhood21]

That sounds like it is the pump. Is there a large screw on the end? If so, undo it and release any air that might be trapped there.

[gti-ted]

robinhood21 said:

That sounds like it is the pump. Is there a large screw on the end? If so, undo it and release any air that might be trapped there.

Ok will do now and update in a minute